Signaling system



f Oct. 10, 1933. A. H. BELLIVEAU SIGNALING SYSTEM Filed March l, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4m Hlfr'ed HBEZIzLrEau HTZ':

Od. l0, 1933. A BELLIVEAU 1,929,402

SIGNALING SYSTEM Filed March l, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MASTER W/Lac/r//v #EL .4 Y

Elfi-'ad H.Belliueau Patented Oct. 10, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIGNALING SYSTEM of Delaware Application March 1, 1929. Serial No. 343,804

3 Claims.

My invention relates to signaling systems in general but more particularly to signaling systems in which the signals transmitted from a sending station to a remote receiving station are visually registered at the receiving station.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of a system of the above character which is suitable for train dispatching by providing a rapid means of communication between a signalingtower and a distant switching tower concerning approaching trains.

Other objects and the various features of my invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows and from the drawings comprising Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the equipment at the signaling, or sending, station and a part of the equipment at the receiving station, while Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the balance of the equipment at the receiving station.

The equipment at the sending station, or

of which the first three and the last groups haver been shown. It is believed unnecessary to show all of the relay groups, as a complete understanding of the operation of the system may be had from the amount of equipment shown. The receiving station equipment also includes the display panel having ten vertical rows of three lamps each, one row of which is associated with each register relay group, and the wipe-out key K.

The system has been arranged for a railway terminal into which three different railroad companies have trains entering, the three companies using the same right-of-way, or adjacent right-of-ways. Each of the keys K1, K2, and K3 are associated with a different railroad company. The upper horizontal row of lamps in I the display panel is associated with key K1, the middle row with K2, and the bottom row With key K3.

A maximum of ten trains may be between station A and station B, so ten vertical rows of lamps have been provided. If the maximum number trains for different places should vary, the number of vertical rows of lamps, and consequently the number of register relay groups, would be varied accordingly.

As the train passes station A, the attendant momentarily depresses the one of the nonlocking keys K1, K2, and K3 which corresponds to the train passing, that is, the key corresponding to the railroad company which owns the train. A light in the corresponding horizontal row is lighted. The attendant at station B, noting the particular lamp lighted, sets up the proper route for that particular train. As the system is rapid and accurate, a train may be switched without its having to slow down.

-A general description of the operation having been given, a detailed description will now be given. It will be assumed that the rst train to pass station A lis one belonging to the company assigned to key K1. The attendant, therefore, depresses key K1 momentarily. The depression of K1 completes the following circuit: ground, key K1, conductor 1 of the trunk, conductor 3, armature 14 and its resting contact of relay 5 of the register relay group #1, winding of relay 7, to battery. Relay 7 energizes in that circuit and attracts its armatures 15, 16, and 17.

At armature 15, relay 7 completes a locking circuit for itself in series with relay 6 to ground through armature 2l of relay 9. At armature 16, relay 7 completes the following circuit: grounded make contact and armature 16, armature 19 and its resting contact, the upper lamp of the rst vertical row of lamps, starting at the left, of the display panel, to battery. The lamp lights to inform the attendant at station B that a certain train is approaching.

When relay '7 completes the circuit for relay 6, l lthat relay does not energize because of ground on armature 15 from sending key K1. However, when key K1 is released, relay 6 energizes inseries with relay '7 and attracts its armatures 22, 23, and 24.-. Armature 23 breaks contact with its resting contact before armatures 22 and 24 engage their make contacts.

It will be noted that relays 5', 5, and 5"' are normally in their'energized positions, While relay 5 is in its deenergized position. Therefore,

when armature 23 breaks contact with its groundy ed resting contact the locking circuit for relay 5 through its armature 26 and its upper winding is opened and the relay 5 deenergizes, retracting its armatures.

At armature 22, relay 6 completes the obvious 'circuit for the upper winding of relay 5. At its armature 24, relay 6 closes a chain circuit at that point, the chain circuit including armatures and contacts similar to armature 24 and its make contact of relay 6. The function of this chain Vcircuit will be explained subsequently.

Relay 5 energizes when the circuit of its upper winding is closed and attracts its armatures. At armatures 14 and 25 the sending keys are disconnected from the first register relay group. At armature 26 a locking circuit for relay 5 is completed through its lower Winding to ground by 'way of conductor 28 and armature 23 of relay 6', Fig. 2. At armature 27 a locking circuit is prepared for relay 5 which circuit is independent of armature 23 of relay 6.

As stated, relay 5 deenergizes and retracts` its armatures subsequent to the operation of relay 6. In so doing, the sending keys are connected to the second register relay group via,

armatures 141 and 25' of relay 5. At armature 26', the locking circuit of relay 5' is further opened. At armature 27', one branch of the locking circuit'of relay 5" is opened.

If at this time sending key K2 is LAdepressed in accordance with the next train passing station A, relay A8 energizes from ground over K2, conductor 2, conductor 4 and armature 25' and its resting contact and in so doing completes a circuit for the-middle lamp in the second from the left vertical row of lamps in the display panel from ground by way of armature, 17' and its resting contact of relay 7 and also completes a locking circuit for itself .in series with the winding of relay 6' by way of its own armature 18 and make contact.

Relay 6' energizes in series with relay 7 when the key K2 is released and in so doing performs the same functions as relay 6 namely, unlocking transfer relay 5, completing the energizing circuit of relay 5', and closing a further point in the chain circuit.

The relay 5 in energizing performs the same functions as relay 5; namely, disconnecting the lsending keys from the associated register relay circuit at armature 26".

I1' key K3 is depressed in accordance with the next train passing station A, ground will `be connected to both conductors 1 and 2, thereby venergizing both relays 7" and 8" which complete locking' circuits in multiple throughrelay 6", and complete a circuit via armature 16" and its grounded make contact and armature 19 and its make contact for the bottom lamp in the third from the left vertical row of lamps in the display panel.

Relay 6" energizes when key K3 is released and performs the 'same functions as each of relays 6 and '61 namely, unlocking therelay 5 of the next register relay group, completingacrcut tions.

for relay 5, and closing another point in the before-mentioned chain circuit. Y

Relay 5" Aenergizes when relay 6 completes its energizing circuit and performs the same functions as relays 5 and 5; namely, completing a locking circuit for itself over its armature 26 to ground through armature 27' and its make contact of relay 5', disconnects the sending keys from the third register relay group at armatures 14 and 25", and prepares a locking circuit for the relay 5 of the next register relay group at armature 27".

The same sequence of operations will be vperformed upon each depression of a sending key at station A, that is, the next register relay group in sequence will function to light a lamp in the vertical row of three lamps in the display panel and transfer the c ontrol circuit to the next register relay group in sequence until the last register relay group, in this case the tenth, is prepared for operation.

When the tenth group operates, all of the relays 5 and 6 will be in their operated positions.

The operation of the last relay 6V completes the chain circuit through all of the armatures 24 and their make contacts. The closure of that chain circuit completes an energizing circuit for the master unlocking relay 29 which attracts its armature 30, thereby removing ground from conductor 28 to which the relay 5 of the first group is locked. Relay 29 remains energized as long as all of the relays 6 remain in their energized posi- Relay 5 does not deenergize when its locking circuit is opened because a circuit remains completed through its upper winding to ground on armature 22 of relay 6.

It will be noted that the register relay groups were operated one at a time in sequence commencing with the rst register relay group and ending with the tenth register relay group, and that each operation of a relay group lighted one of the three lamps in the vertical. rows of lamps in the display panel in sequence commencing with the first row at the left and proceeding to the right to the last row, the lamp of the vertical row lighted depending upon which one of the sending keys was depressed. Although the operation of the sending keys has been described by depressing' keys K1, K2., and K3 in the order named, it is to be understood that the keyx depressed depends upon the train passing station A. It is possible that one key may be pressed ten times in consecutive order. If such were the case, all

the lamps in one of the three horizontal rows of lamps would be lighted.

The lamps of the horizontal rows may be o f diierent colors to make them readily distinguishable. For instance, all of the lamps in the first horizontal row, or those lighted by the operation of key K1, maybe red in color, while those of the second horizontal row may be green, and the.

third row yellow. The color of the lamps is entirely a matter of choice.

So far, the description has dealt entirely with the .operation of,the register relay groups. The

wiping out of the signals now be described. In actual practice it is unusual that ten lamps will be'lighted on the display panel at any one time.' for, as the attendant at station B sets up a route for a train, he wipes out the corresponding signal as will be explained. rHowever, if all the lamps are lighted and the attendant desires to cuit for relay 5', and at armature 24 'opens the chain circuit.

Since the relay 6" of the tenth group is in its energized position and since the master unlocking relay 29 is in its energized position, relay 5 will deenergize upon the deenergization of relay 6, since there is no ground on conductor 28 for its locking circuit. Relay 5, therefore, reconnects' the sending keys to first register relay group.

Master unlocking relay 29 deenergizes when the chain circuit is opened as described and replaces ground on conductor 28 so that relay 5 will have a locking circuit the next time it energizes provided some other register relay group has been released.

Relay 13 is energized in multiple with relay 9 from ground on key K to battery over conductor 3l and resting contact and armature of relay 33. Relay 13, in energizing, completes a locking circuit for itself in series with relay 12, which circuit becomes eiective when key K is released. When key K is released, relay `9 deenergizes and relay 12 energizes in series with relay 13.

Relay 12, at its upper armature, disconnects the Wipe-out key K from relays 9 and 13 and connects it to relays 9' and 13 by way of armature and resting contact of relay 12', and at its lower armature and grounded make contact com'- pletes the obvious circuits for relays 10 and 11 in multiple. Relay 10, as will be noted, is provided with a copper slug at its upper end to make the relay slow to energize while relay 11 is provided witha copper slug at its lower end to make.

it slow-to-release. Therefore, since relay 10 is slow to energize, relay 11 will have time to energize before relay 10 opens the circuit of relay 11.

Relay 11 in energizing attracts its armature to remove battery from conductor 34 and after a short interval, deenergizes and again connects battery to conductor 34.

The momentary removal of battery from conductor 34 unlocks relays 12 and 13"' which are normally locked thereto in series. Those relays, therefore, deenergize and relay 12" opens the circuit of slow-to-energize relay 32 and prepares the wipe-out circuit for relays 9" and 13"'.

The next depression of key K energizes relays 9 and 13' in multiple and those relays perform as did relays 9 and 13. The only function of relay 12' in this case is to transfer the wipe-out circuit to relays 9 and 13" associated with the third register relay group.

Each subsequent momentary operation of key K will cause the release of the next register relay group in sequence until the last group is reached. When this group is reached, relays 9" and 13" are operated bythe depression of the wipe-out key K and they, together with relays 12"', 32, and 33, function like relays 9, 10, l1, 12, and 13. Relay 33 momentarily removes battery' from the common locking conductor 31, thereby releasing all of the relays 12 and 13 that are serially locked up to that conductor. Relays 12"' and 13" remain locked up to conductor 34 until such time as they are released by the operation of relay 1l as described.

It will, therefore, be noted that the signals o n the display panel are wiped out in the order in which the lamps are lighted and that one wipecording to groups in which they were operated out key serves to wipe out all signals. Thus the registering of signals,l the' lighting of lamps, and the erasure of signals takes place in a definite sequence, always commencing with the left hand vertical row and proceeding to the right until all rows have been used and then again commencing on the first left-hand row. v If the iirst register relay group is released before the tenth, or last, group has operated, relay 5 will remain locked up to conductor 28. By the operation ofthe next to the last group, relay 5"' lwas deenergized. Therefore, the locking circuit of relay 5 extended solelythrough armature 23" of relay 6. Therefore, upon the operation of relay 6"', relay 5 is unlocked and restores before relay 5' energizes. The restoration of relay 5 reconnects the sending keys to the flrst register relay group.

Although I have chosen the foregoing application for illustrating the operation of the system of my invention, it is not my intention to be limited to the exact disclosure since, undoubtedly, there are modications and adaptations which could be made by those skilled-in theart without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I consider new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is pointed out in the claims which follow:

What is claimed is:

|1. In a signaling system, a plurality of signaling keys, la plurality of groups of signals, there being one signal in each group for each key, means including a chain of relays operated responsive to consecutive perations of said keys for operating a signal cor esponding to the key operated ina different group for each consecutive operation, circuit means controlled by said relays for determining that said relays shall always be operated in a definite rotation to determine a definite rotation in the operation of the signals according to groups, a release key, and means responsive to consecutive operations of said release key for restoring the operated signals in the rotation acto maintain the definite group rotation of operation, said first means maintaining each signal operated in its group until its consecutive turn' arrives to be restored by the consecutive opera-- tions of said release key. 2. In a signaling system, afplurality of groups of signaling devices, a relay group associated with each of said groups of signaling devices, a plurality of signaling keys, a chain of relays for connecting said signaling keys to said relay groups sequentially, the relays of the group to which the keys are connected responsive to theA operation of one of said keys for operating one of the sig,- naling devices of the associated group, and operating said relay chain to connect said keys to the next relay group in sequence, a release key, and a second chain of relays responsive to consecutive operations of said release key for releasing the maintained signaling devices in the sequence in l which they were operated and conditioning the associated relay groups for subsequent operation, said relay groups maintaining the operated signaling devices -in operated condition until its l groups arranged in consecutive order with the lamps corresponding to the different keys arsaid rst means to extinguish said lighted lamps one at a time for each release keyoperation in the same consecutive order in which each such lamp was lighted, said first means maintaining each lamp lighted in the position in the row in which it was initially lighted until its consecutive turn arrives to be extinguished by the consecutive operations of said release key.

ALFRED f H. BELLIVEAU. 

